Under Blackened Skies
by iSparks
Summary: Nearly two years after leaving the Jedi Order and one year since Order 66, Ahsoka Tano's now peaceful life is turned upside down when the dark forces of the Empire invade her home world Shili and threaten to destroy everything she holds dear to her, while a shadow from her past emerges from the flames and she is forced to choose between her own life or those of her extended family.
1. A Shadow From The Past

**Synopsis: **It has been a year since the dreaded Order 66, a whole year since Operation Knightfall brought the Jedi Order to its knees. Now, Ahsoka Tano lives in peace on her home planet, Shili, a peace that is about to be destroyed by the incoming fires of war. Ahsoka is ready to lay her life on the line to protect her people and save her family but when a shadow from the past emerges from the fire, will she have what it takes to defeat it, or let the darkness take her.

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**Under Blackened Skies**

**Chapter 1**

**A Shadow From The Past**

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The sound of explosions and screams echoed throughout the plains of the planet Shili, sounds of war, of destruction and of death, sounds that Ahsoka had once been used to but had long since forgotten about, until now.

The young Togruta took hold of a nearby spear as another squad of Imperial Storm Troopers charged toward her, dodging shot after shot from the white armoured troops while she tried to distract them long enough for her extended family in Tano Tribe to escape into the large forests that surrounded their now ruined home.

Ahsoka dove forward, lodging her weapon into one troopers gut before grabbing his blaster and downing another two in quick succession as she leaped back to avoid retaliatory shots from the never ending horde of troopers.

"Will somebody kill this little rat!" the shout came from one of the masked men as Ahsoka took down another trooper.

"She's too fast!" another replied before leaping to the ground behind a nearby tree and firing his blaster aimlessly from his new cover.

It came as a surprise to Ahsoka that these men were not clones, but rather a whole new force which the Empire had created to fight their battles and add to the ever growing Imperial Army. In one way, she was glad that she wouldn't have to kill any of her former comrades, though on the other hand, she never wanted to kill at all.

Ahsoka had been settling down for the night when the first wave of troopers attacked her village and began burning down the many wooden huts. She had tried to help as many as she could to escape into the safety of the forests but many had already been killed or captured as the Empire attacked with all it's might.

Now she was alone, holding on as long as she could so that any who could escape would and those who had also stayed behind were able to help the injured to safety before she herself would attempt an escape.

"More troops! We need more troops!" the cry of a storm trooper was quickly silenced as his chest was impaled by Ahsoka's spear and he fell to the ground in a heap.

"Inform command of this immediately!" another shouted as her gestured his squad back towards the burning forest behind him and ordered them to take cover behind the many rocks, trees and rubble that dotted the large open area.

Ahsoka let out a long sigh as she too retreated back towards the remains of her village, coming to stop behind one of few still standing huts as an elderly Togrutan male was helped to safety by two female healers.

"Ahsoka, we must go, the scouts on the northern cliffs have seen an Imperial Star Destroyer coming this way, it's not safe to continue fighting" one of the healers said as she hurried towards the forest entrance.

Ahsoka nodded, "I'll follow you soon, I just need to make sure no one else was left behind" she replied before looking back into what was left of the village centre.

The healer shook her head and shot the younger Togruta a concerned look, "But we've so far heard nothing more from the south side of the village, I fear there may be no survivors, come with us now, before it's too late!"

"I won't leave until I'm sure" Ahsoka replied, "You go on, get yourselves and everyone to safety, I promise I'll follow when I can" she said, waving the two healers on as she took hold of her spear once more and force jumped onto the roof of the hut she had been hiding behind.

It was only then that Ahsoka witnessed the full extent of the damage done to the southern side of her village. Nearly all of the huts had been destroyed and those that still stood were slowly burning from the Blaze Troopers flamethrowers. It seemed as though the healer may have been right in assuming there were no survivors left to save, but that thought was quickly wiped from Ahsoka's mind as she heard a loud cry emanate from one of the closer huts.

"Help!" the voice of what Ahsoka knew was a young girl cried out, "Please, somebody help me!" the girl cried again though her shout was followed by a loud cough caused by the smoke of the ever rising flames.

Ahsoka quickly leaped into action as she landed on the closest roof to her, before using her force enhanced agility to avoid the flames of the burning huts and the odd shot from a storm troopers blaster as she jumped from roof to roof in an effort to reach the youngling before it was too late.

An improvised roll on the soft grass beneath her helped Ahsoka to a sudden halt just before the now fully burning building and she quickly began to search for the distressed youngling.

"Where are you!?" Ahsoka shouted as the blaze began to spread faster with the suddenly frantic wind, wind that was being caused by the rapidly approaching Star Destroyer that now slowly made its way over the southern forest.

"Over here!" the girl replied with panic evident in her voice as the roof of the burning building began to creek, a sure sign that a collapse was imminent.

Ahsoka quickly made her way to the front of the hut only to find that the small Togrutan youngling was trying as hard as she could to pull her injured mother away from the flames.

"Please, my mommy hurt her head and she won't wake up!" the youngling screamed as tears began to stream down her stained orange cheeks.

Ahsoka ran through the door and knelt down next to the injured woman while her eyes locked with the trembling girl, "It's okay little one, I'm here" she said, trying to keep her tone as soft as she could in order to calm the girl down.

"She won't wake up" the girl managed to say as she covered her eyes with both hands and sobbed quietly as Ahsoka examined the unconscious mother.

A feeling of relief washed over her as Ahsoka felt that the older Togruta's pulse was still strong, though she had a rather nasty looking bruise on the side of her head, "Your mommy will be fine, but I need your help" she said, turning her attention back to the sobbing youngling as the sound of cracks emanated from the ever weakening roof.

The girl removed her hands and looked at Ahsoka, a look of both fear and hopelessness evident on her features as she took hold of her mother's hand and nodded, "O…ok…"

Ahsoka smiled in another attempt to raise the youngling's confidence as she quickly came up with a plan, "Alright, little one…"

"Erin…" the girl interrupted as she said her name, "My name is Erin"

Ahsoka smiled again, "Erin, my name's Ahsoka and I'm going to help you save your mommy, but I need your help" she said, earning a nod from the girl, "Good girl, now, I need you to run, as fast as you can, behind all the huts until you reach the forest, once you get there, tell one of the healers what's happened, I'll be right behind you all the way with your mommy, can you do all that?"

Erin nodded, "Y… yeah" she stuttered with another nod as she turned her gaze back to her mother.

"Good girl, now, I'll count to three and you run as fast as you can, ready?" Ahsoka asked before turning her own gaze toward the exit, scanning the world beyond with both her montrals and the force until she was satisfied it was safe and she seen Erin nod, "Okay… one… two… three!"

With Ahsoka's order, Erin ran as fast as she could out of the hut before turning at the exit and beginning her advance toward the northern forest. All the while, Ahsoka used all the strength she could muster to hoist the unconscious mother on to her shoulders, before following Erin's path and running as fast as she could out of the hut just as the roof finally caved in, sending a large plume of smoke and flame into the air as Ahsoka quickly turned mid stride and ran as fast as her legs allowed her toward the awaiting forest.

Ahsoka panted hard as she collapsed behind the cover of an untouched hut, the strain of the earlier fighting catching up with her now weakened legs as she took a moment to regain her senses.

"Ahsoka!" the voice of the healer rang out as Ahsoka spied a group of four Togrutan women coming toward her with Erin not far behind.

Ahsoka blew out a long breath as she made it back to her feet, laying Erin's mother against the wall of the hut as she greeted the group with a nod, "We need to get to safety, that Star Destroyer will be on us any second" she said, regaining her composure as Erin knelt in front of her mother.

"Thank you, Ahsoka" the youngling said with a shaky voice, "Thank you for saving my mommy".

Ahsoka smiled weakly, "No Erin, it was you who saved her, you've been very brave, your mommy will be very proud when she wakes up" she said, continuing to smile as she earned an equally wide grin from the girl.

It was just then that Ahsoka felt a sudden disturbance in the force, a presence, one she had not felt in a long time and one she was struggling to recognise fully as it seemed to be clouded in darkness.

"Ahsoka?" the healer called out, "Are you ok? You look like you've seen a ghost"

Ahsoka let out a long breath, "I… I'm fine, it's just…" she paused, suddenly feeling the urge, no, the need to run, not forward, but back towards the source of the ever growing disturbance.

"Look" one of the other Togruta said as she pointed toward the havens, "The Star Destroyer, it's turning away!"

Ahsoka turned her gaze to the sky as the mammoth cruiser turned slowly to the west, the sound of the ships engines exploding through the night sky as it moved away from the village and a dark silence waved over the world once more.

"Go… all of you, get to the forest and join up with the rest of the survivors, I'll cover your escape" Ahsoka said in a neutral tone as her gaze fixed on the southern side of the village and the presence she was feeling continued to grow.

The healer placed her hand on Ahsoka's shoulder before moving to stand in front of her, "Be safe Ahsoka, we'll be waiting at the gathering place" the woman said with a small smile.

"I'll be right behind you" Ahsoka replied simply, "Now, go"

The healer nodded, releasing Ahsoka's shoulder as she helped the others pick Erin's mother off the soft ground before making their way back toward the forest.

Ahsoka waited until the group was out of sight before she began to walk back down the path she had not long ago ran up, a heavy feeling taking over her heart as she thought she heard a familiar voice call her name, calling her, into the darkness that seemed to slowly engulf the world in front of her, as Ahsoka willingly walked into its shadows.

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**Disclaimer:** Disney and Lucasfilm Limited own all Star Wars characters and concepts. I do not own the rights to any of the characters, locations or anything to do with Star Wars. Any Original Characters and or locations however are my own.

**Author's Notes:** Thanks as always for reading guys. I hope you enjoyed the first chapter of this two-shot. My original plan was to have this as a single chapter story but I found myself writing more than I thought I would so in the end, I decided to split it into two parts.

I'm sure a few of you can guess what's coming next and don't worry, I won't keep you waiting long as I plan on having the next part up within the next two days, I hope that's ok with you all.

Anyways, thank you all once again for reading and I will catch you guys next time, cheers!


	2. A Necessary Sacrifice

**Under Blackened Skies**

**Chapter 2**

**A Necessary Sacrifice**

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Ahsoka covered her nose and mouth with her right forearm as she slowly made her way through the ruins of what was left of her home, the sudden disturbance that had sent shockwaves through the force growing stronger and stronger while she strode down the once familiar path which led towards the village's southern gate and the vast forest beyond.

Another sudden attack on her senses sent the young Togruta into a force assisted leap until she eventually came to a hard landing behind the scorched remains of a small hut, the sound of incoming footsteps causing her montrals to flare up as she cautiously poked her head over the ruined wall and scanned the area.

In front of her, a squad of seven Storm Troopers were running from building to building as they searched for survivors, a realisation that raised conflicting emotions in Ahsoka, as memories of what had happened all those years ago on Kiros resurfaced and she was shocked to find herself asking what fate would be better for those who had already been captured by theses merciless invaders.

"All clear, move on to the next hut!" the shouted order from the lead trooper broke Ahsoka out of her daze as she watched the armoured men move off onto a separate path and, eventually, out of her field of view.

Ahsoka quickly seized the moment of silence and supposed safety to once again start down the burning path before her, using her montrals at the same time to scan the area for any other dangers as the presence she had been sensing seemed to closing in on her, though she still failed to pinpoint its exact location, that however didn't last long.

It was then that Ahsoka's eyes shot open, a terrible fear overtaking her senses as she felt the powerful force presence close in around her, the sound of a long mechanical breath filled her montrals as she felt her throat slowly close in on itself, leaving her gasping for air as she was slowly lifted off the ground and held a couple of feet above the dry, sandy path beneath her.

She tried to move but her arms and legs felt as though they were being held, she tried to scream but the air she needed was being kept from her as she was slowly chocked by an enemy she could not see.

A single tear rolled down Ahsoka's flushed orange cheek as she felt her heart pound in her chest and her life slowly began to wane away, she tried to fight it, but in the end it seemed like a hopeless battle.

Another long breath pierced the ever growing silence, this time it was closer, she could almost feel the warm breath of her attacker against her neck as she was choked but she could still not see him, him, Ahsoka's eyes snapped open once more, this presence was more than a little familiar to her, she knew that conflicted wave length, she knew those broken thoughts, it was the bond they had forged, one that could not be broken and yet it had been.

Ahsoka dropped to her hands and knees as she felt her throat open up and her body once again become her own, she coughed, feeling a small trickle of blood slide down her chin while she composed herself and regained her senses as well as her strength.

The few seconds she stayed in that position felt more like an eternity as the sound of the same mechanical breathing outdid any and all other sounds that could have been filling Ahsoka's montrals at that moment as she tried and failed multiple times to lift her head, to look upon her attacker, though deep down she feared what she would see.

"The force has abandoned you, little one" a cold and anger filled voice finally broke through the silence as Ahsoka finally lifted herself onto her knees alone and locked her eyes on the shrouded figure that stood before her, "But you are not defeated yet… I taught you well, my young apprentice"

Ahsoka panted franticly, the heavy feeling in her chest now extending beyond just her lungs as her heart began to slowly break, "I… I thought you were dead…" she said though streams of tears and shattered breathes, before locking her bloodshot eyes with the masked face of what was left of the man in front of her, "What happened to you, Anakin?"

"That name, no longer has any meaning for me!" he replied angrily, pointing his gloved finger toward her as another long breath emanated from the shrouded mask, "You will come with me, Ahsoka" he said, his tone calming slightly.

Ahsoka weakly wiped the small trickle of blood from her chin as she finally felt her strength return to her, "And, if I refuse?" she asked defiantly, though she was not prepared for his wrath, as she once again felt her throat close in on itself and she gasped for air that was once again no longer forthcoming.

"Do not get snippy with me, little one!" he shouted, an even darker tone of anger filling his voice as Ahsoka felt as though she would lose consciousness at any second, until the grip on her throat was once again released.

"Lord Vader!" a shout from behind the dark figure called ahead as Ahsoka wrapped her hands around her aching neck, "Lord Vader, we've routed out last of the surviving villagers and rounded them up at the gate as you requested" the familiar voice of what Ahsoka knew was a clone spoke as she noticed the unforgettable blue and white armour of the 501st and also, that of a captain she had once called a friend.

"R… Rex?" she managed to speak his name though broken breathes and a steady stream of blood as her eyes once again began to sting with the never ending flood of tears.

Rex seemed to shift awkwardly in his position but made no attempt to look at the young Togruta, perhaps knowing what the consequences were for exchanging words with the enemy, a realisation that only added to Ahsoka's sadness, now she was the enemy.

"Very good, Captain" Vader replied with authority evident in his broken tone, "Return to my ship and bring me the box I instructed you to carry, I have much to teach my apprentice tonight" he continued, an air of both anger and arrogance surrounding him as he looked at Ahsoka through his mask, "Now, you will come with me"

Ahsoka looked at Rex pleadingly for a moment before he turned and began to make his way towards the southern gate, once again leaving her with Vader and wondering what the Sith Lord had planned for her.

"Why are you doing this to me… to us?" Ahsoka asked simply, though she was slightly hesitant to know the answer.

Vader scoffed once again, "I want you to feel the pain of loss as I have, Ahsoka" he replied, saying her name with a hint of disguised, "I will show you the power of the Dark Side, you will become my apprentice once again and I will complete your training, than and only then can we stand a chance in defeating the Emperor" he continued, clenching his gloved fist as he finished and never taking his gaze away from the now trembling Togruta.

Ahsoka's eyes widened, a feeling of dread washing over her as she tried and failed to comprehend what she was hearing, "I… I don't understand…" she replied, her tone softening as she dropped her gaze to the ground began to cry quietly, the pain of what she was beginning to realise becoming too much for her broken heart to handle.

"Join me, Ahsoka" Vader clenched his fist, "Join me, and I will make you more powerful than you could ever have imagined, we can fulfil our destiny, and together, we can rule the galaxy as Master and Apprentice!" he said, extending his arm as he finished and pulling Ahsoka to her feet, "Walk"

Ahsoka struggled to stand as she felt her knees give away beneath her and she once again fell on all fours, "I… I can't" she cried, feeling as helpless as she was sure she now looked.

Vader snarled angrily before activating his communicator, "Captain Rex?" he spoke into the device, again with authority.

"Yes, Lord Vader?" the clones voice responded.

"Send two men to help Ahsoka to the southern gate, I expect you will be there as I have requested" Vader replied, keeping his gaze fixed on Ahsoka as he spoke into the communicator.

"As you wish, my Lord" Rex responded, before the device once again fell silent and two storm troopers quickly emerged from behind one of the still burning huts.

"Take her to the Southern Gate immediately" Vader ordered, "And be sure to use the Force Suppression Collar" he said, handing the ringed device to one of the troopers who quickly locked it tightly around Ahsoka's hurting neck.

Ahsoka was then taken by the arm on each side by the storm troopers and quickly led down the path that led to the southern forest; the sound of Vader's long mechanical breathing the only thing keeping her from drifting out of consciousness as she struggled against the pain that had overtaken her entire body.

It didn't take long until they reached the southern gate, or perhaps it did, Ahsoka really couldn't tell anymore, everything was a blur now, she was losing blood from her mouth, knowing full well that Vader's torture had done more damage than even he may have intended to cause.

The next the thing Ahsoka knew was that she was dropped to the soft yet damp grass that sat under the villages southern gate, she hadn't even realised it had begun to rain, or that Vader had been saying something to her until she felt herself being lifted by the throat, though this time by Vader's hand, as he shouted his order a her.

"You will follow my instructions, or they all will die, including you!" Vader snarled before dropping Ahsoka once more along with a metal box which he lay in front of her and opened it using the force.

Within the box, Ahsoka was surprised to see her lightsaber, the weapon she was sure she had lost a long time ago, though she still didn't understand what exactly she was supposed to do with it, at least until she lifted her head towards the forest and gazed upon an uneasy sight.

A group of ten Togruta were lined up next to each other along the side of the tall wooden gate, a large black piece of cloth covering their eyes as they were forced to their knees by the storm troopers that stood behind them.

Ahsoka coughed before looking up at Vader, not noticing the blood that continued to trail down her flushed cheek as she felt herself struggling to breath under the damage done to her lungs, "You… you want me to… kill them?" she asked with a weak stutter and deep down dreading the answer.

"You will kill them" Vader replied, "Then and only then, will your journey towards the Dark Side begin" he finished, calling her lightsaber to his hand and offering it to her, "Take your weapon, strike them all down and become my apprentice once again"

Ahsoka looked at Vader pleadingly before turning back towards the prisoners, two of which she noticed to her horror were children, "I… I won't!" Ahsoka spat defiantly, "I won't kill innocents, I won't!" she shouted though tears as she felt her hand being grabbed by Vader before he thrust her lightsaber into her weak grip.

"You will kill them, or you will die with them!" Vader shouted with more anger than he had yet exhibited, before grabbing Ahsoka's arm and lifting her to her feet, "Kill them now!"

Ahsoka panted hard as she locked her eyes with the two children who stood either side of who she guessed was their mother, a feeling of guild and fear washing over her as she struggled to make a decision, a decision she couldn't believe she was being forced to make as she once again coughed and felt her lungs explode in pain while she tried to stay on her feet.

It took a lot for her to take a step forward and even more to activate the bright green blade of her lightsaber as she slowly approached the bound prisoners. The world was so dark at that moment, so lonely and so cold. Ahsoka couldn't feel the rain bouncing off her; she couldn't feel anything, all there was, was darkness, pain and suffering.

She wanted to run but her legs wouldn't allow it, every small step she was taking felt like a mile long run uphill, every breath seemed as if it would be her last and every swing of her lightsaber felt like stab to her own heart as Ahsoka sliced her way through the storm troopers which stood behind the Togrutan prisoners.

"Run!" Ahsoka screamed with all the energy she had left as she struggled to deflect blaster shots while also cutting down any troopers that got too close to her.

It was difficult, perhaps a little too difficult, and Ahsoka could feel every fibre of her life force wane away with each swing, each deflection and each movement sapped away at whatever energy and drive she had left as she made her final stand for her people and for herself.

What happened next, she didn't really know, everything was suddenly cold and dark, but above all, it was peaceful.

Ahsoka looked down as she let out a slow breath, the sight of Vader's red blade piercing through her chest not making her panic as much as her mind seemed to be telling her to.

She looked around, her people had escaped, leaving only a trail in the dirt that was slowly washed away with the down pouring rain as a small smile spread across Ahsoka's features, "Take care…" she whispered, not feeling the blade retract from her heaving chest as she fell backwards onto the soft, damp grass beneath her and looked up at the face of someone she had once loved as a brother and respected as a master.

Ahsoka felt his cold arms take hold of her as he knelt and lifted her head off the wet ground, perhaps he was saying something to her, she didn't know, but she could feel his pain, his anger, and his regrets.

She smiled, as much as it hurt, she could sense the good in him, the conflict, she could sense Anakin Skywalker, though he was buried beneath the darkness, crying to escape, crying for her.

"I forgive you… Anakin" she said softly before closing her eyes and feeling the light of the force take hold and wrap her in its warm and comforting embrace.

For a moment, she thought she could hear him calling her name, begging her not to leave him like she had not so long ago, it was then she was sure, it was then that she knew he was still very much alive and it was then that she could finally say, with hope and a final tear "…Goodbye"

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**Disclaimer:** Disney and Lucasfilm Limited own all Star Wars characters and concepts. I do not own the rights to any of the characters, locations or anything to do with Star Wars. Any Original Characters and or locations however are my own.

**Author's Notes: **Thanks for reading guys. I can't believe how much support this story has gotten in only three days, I appreciate it so much and I really hope you liked this second part as much as the first.

This was my first real attempt at writing a story with a darker theme but I also didn't want to cross any boundaries, so, I hope this chapter was alright and not too over the top.

Anyways, thank you all once again for reading and I will catch you guys next time, cheers!


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